One Night in Bangkok
by muishiki
Summary: Ranma gets one night in Bangkok, courtesy of Nabiki’s chess talents. How much can change in just one night? RxA, mature themed.


I don't own these characters. This is was written on a lark.

-----

"An international chess tournament?" Ranma snatched the invitation out of Nabiki's hand. "How'd you manage to swing that?"

Nabiki glared at Ranma. "You will return that or I'll double your tab."

Ranma handed the letter back to Nabiki as quickly as he could.

"For your information, Saotome, since going to college, I've taken up chess." She smirked. "And I happen to be very, very, very good." Nabiki turned on her heel and stalked into the living room to share the news with her assembled family.

"Probably by blackmailing people into throwing the matches." Ranma muttered under his breath as he watched her walk away.

"I heard that Saotome." He blanched.

------

Tendo Soun took a drag on his cigarette and he absorbed the information. "So, you've been invited to an international chess tournament for college students? All expenses paid?"

Nabiki nodded. Kasumi reached over and filled her tea cup, earning a grateful smile from her younger sister. Akane, Ranma, and Genma sat around the table, listening in with interest.

"Yes." Nabiki took a bite of a rice cracker and chewed.

"Where are you going?" Akane reached over and grabbed a cracker out of Ranma's hand and gave him a peck on the cheek to silence his squawking.

Nabiki nodded approvingly. "Cute, you two. Nice to see you are getting along better."

They blushed. Ranma rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, well… Still got a fiancée problem, though."

Everyone around the table suddenly glowered at Ranma. Akane started to glow a faint red. Ranma held up his hands in a warding gesture. "I'm working on it, I promise!"

Akane bopped him lightly on the head with a miniature mallet. She shrugged. "He actually is." Things returned to normal after that.

Kasumi is helped it along by asking, "This is so exciting, Nabiki! Where are you going?"

"Well, it rotates between the Philippines, Iceland, or Hastings. But this year it's going to be in Bangkok. We'll meet some celebrities there. The crème de la crème of the chess world will be there. Rumor has it Gary Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik might show, too. They're paying to put us up at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, one of the most luxurious five star hotels in Bangkok. There's also prize money for the various categories." She coolly examined her nails, pretending to act nonchalant. "If I get to the finals, I could potentially win nearly ¥10,000,000."

Some whistles sounded out from around the table.

Kasumi asked, "Will Yul Brynner be there?"

Nabiki checked the list. "Uhmm… No."

"Ara… that's too bad." Kasumi sighed. "I always liked his movies."

Ranma nodded and grabbed a new cracker, jealously protecting it from his fiancée who eyed it speculatively. "Sounds real nice. Who'd ya swindle to get that deal?"

Nabiki blinked at the question. "I earned it."

Ranma snickered at that. Nabiki speared him with a glance, causing him to choke on the cracker in his mouth. "I did. I won the national collegiate chess tournament this spring. I got an invitation as a result. "

"Oh my. That's very good, isn't it Nabiki?"

"Yeah." Nabiki grinned. "I'm a natural." Genma raised an eyebrow at that statement. "Well, I am."

Genma rubbed his chin and nodded. "I can see that. Cunning, mathematical mind with a willingness to sacrifice your pawns for the ultimate victory…"

Nabiki huffed. "You guys all make it sound like I'm a terrible person who can't do anything besides manipulate people." She looked around the table, but nobody would meet her eyes. "What?" Rather than answer, everyone stuffed a cracker in their mouths. Well, almost everyone.

"Well," Ranma said, "before you left for college, you were a manipulative, conniving..." Akane spared him from putting the rest of his foot into his mouth by pummeling him through the floor.

Nabiki shot to her feet. "I can't believe you! My own family!"

At least Akane had the courtesy to look sheepish. Ranma simply twitched, half his body embedded in the floor. Soun just smoke his cigarette. Nabiki turned around. "And to think, I was going to offer the other three tickets to my family, but…"

Everyone spoke up at once. Soun spoke up suddenly, cutting though the din. "Come now Nabiki! Let's not be too hasty here!"

With her back to the people seated around the table, nobody was able to see her smirk. Check and mate. This was going to be fun.

-------

In the end, Nabiki offered tickets to Akane, Ranma, and Kasumi. She figured she owed it Ranma and Akane for ruining their wedding attempt, and Kasumi had never traveled outside of Japan. Soun wailed and Genma gnashed his teeth, but neither man was cruel enough to ask Kasumi to stay home.

The night before the trip was supposed to be calm. Unfortunately, Taro decided to show up and start a brawl with Ranma. Happosai of course, due to the unique nature of the battle and a clever use of a rather wierd combination of perversion, ki, and battle auras, Ranma managed to spare the property from too much damage (mainly by giving Happosai incentive to take Taro outside of the property to beat on each other.)

However, as a result, there was a flurry of last minute packing and a mad dash for the plane. The four managed to board the plane only fifteen minutes before the final boarding call. Ranma grumbled the whole time, being the one who had to carry every one's luggage.

"Geesh, Akane." He groused. "What you got in here, a cast iron chastity belt?"

The flight went quickly for Ranma, at least. He was unconscious until they landed.

-----

The taxi ride from the airport to the hotel was… chaotic. Some guy on a motorcycle attempted to grab Akane's camera as she leaned out of the taxi to take a picture, but Ranma's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. With a vicious yank, he pulled the man and his partner off the motorcycle into the door of the taxi, knocking out a tooth against the door frame and sending both man crashing to the ground, only to be swallowed by the traffic. Kasumi smiled serenely in the front seat, enjoying her first trip outside of Japan.

Akane sheepishly thanked Ranma. He just winked and turned back to enjoy the scenery.

Nabiki looked up crossly from her book. "You guys are breaking my concentration."

"Sorry." Akane pointed at the chaotic traffic swirling around them. "Don't you think it's a pity not to look around while you're here? You might never see this city again!"

Nabiki shrugged. "I'm here to win. One town's very like another when your head's down over your pieces."

Ranma shrugged. "Oh well. I think it's a shame that you'll be locked up in the hotel for a week playing chess." He grinned. "I mean, look at this place."

Nabiki shrugged. "I've seen enough crowded, polluted, stinking towns…" She buried her nose back into her book.

Ranma looked over. "Whachya readin'?"

Nabiki shrugged but didn't look up. "It's called Of Human Bondage. It's pretty depressing."

The taxi driver didn't speak much Japanese, but he had taken enough tourists into the city to recognize the reaction. His fares didn't speak Thai, so he tried in English. "You no read! You's in Bangkok! Bangkok no like other city! Is good! World you oysters! Pearls everywhere for taking for right price!" The taxi driver grinned back at them in the rear view mirror. He laughed when he saw that at least one of them understood.

Ranma pointed at the ornately decorated building they passed. "Was temple there back over?" His English was about as good as the taxi drivers, at least.

"Bar! Temples in bars, too!!" He waved frantically out his window, pointing at a tea shop they were passing. "Tea girls! Warm and Sweet! So So good! Golden Cloisters! History!"

Ranma and Akane looked confused. Nabiki just snorted. "I'm here for business, thanks." Her English was flawless, of course. She even managed to hide her accent for the most part.

The taxi drive just smiled and nodded. "Yes Madam! But Bangkok at night…"

"Just take us to our hotel, thanks."

The taxi driver just smiled and nodded.

------

The Mandarin Hotel was superbly situated near the Chao Phya River close to the centre of Bangkok. The taxi ride only took forty-five minutes from the airport. During that time, the tourists in the car took in all the sights and sounds of Bangkok at night. The hotel was located in the heart of Bangrak, one of the city's bustling business districts, close to entertainment and shopping.

They pulled up to the hotel. Nabiki haggled with the driver while Ranma pulled out the luggage. Akane escorted Kasumi into the hotel lobby while the bell boy boggled at the fact that Ranma was balancing six pieces of luggage on one finger.

"Ranma," Nabiki snapped, "don't show off."

"Sorry, Nabiki." He followed her, carrying the luggage normally. "Where'd you get so good at English?"

"Chess club."

"Ah. Funny, that."

"It is, isn't it?" Come on." She pulled him into the lobby. She grinned. It was subtle, but the hotel screamed money. It didn't flaunt wealth; its patrons were too high class to appreciate gaudy displays. However, the quality of the woods that lined the lobby, the black leather sofas and real gold leaf on the ceiling all quietly asserted that most guests here had both money and taste. She murmured to her self, "Oh yes, I'm going to enjoy this."

"What was that, Nabiki?" Ranma asked.

"Watch the luggage. I'm going to go check us in." Ranma nodded. He placed the luggage on the ground and waited, sticking his hands into his black kung fu pants.

Akane and Kasumi were wandering around the lobby, taking in the art around the walls. Nabiki returned a few minutes later and called her sisters over. "Here ya go, Kasumi. This is your room key. There's no number on the card itself, so remember your room number, okay?" She handed one to Akane and then to Ranma. "Here ya go. Same goes for you. Don't lose it."

She pulled out a few maps and handed them over. "The cost of the room is covered. Food and drinks are not. Since the hotel restaurant is probably expensive, you should probably eat out. Ranma, I'm counting on you to keep my sisters safe."

Ranma nodded, serious.

"Let's get out of the lobby so I can give you some cash. Follow me." She led them the elevators and to the seventh floor. She led them to her room and slid in the card key, pushing open the door and carefully looking around. Once everyone was inside, she instructed Ranma to drop off her and Kasumi's luggage.

She reached into her purse and pulled out a wad of cash. "Alright, hold on to this, Ranma." She pushed it into his hands. Nodding, he made it disappear somewhere. She raised an eyebrow. "Mousse?"

He nodded.

Akane sputtered. "Why's he getting all the cash?"

"Because," Nabiki replied sardonically, "if anyone manages to pick-pocket Ranma, they deserve it. And I'd like to know his phone number."

Akane looked a bit glum at that. "I'm getting better."

Nabiki nodded and patted her youngest sister on the head. "I'm sure you are. Ranma's just the best."

Akane glared at Ranma and challenged him, "One word, Saotome. I dare you."

Wisely, he kept his mouth shut.

"Things are cheap here, Saotome. It's about four yen to the Baht, and meals shouldn't cost you more than couple hundred Baht at most, per person. Don't pay a ridiculously large tab because it means you're being swindled. Don't go pulling out a wad of cash if you can help it. I know you'll be able to handle pretty much anything that gets thrown at you, but Kasumi can't."

"Got it."

Nabiki turned to Akane. "And keep your temper under control. There are… bad people here, okay?"

She looked like she swallowed something sour. "Okay."

"I want to shower and then we'll go out for dinner. Meet in the lobby in one hour?"

The pair nodded. They grabbed their luggage and headed out the door. Ranma looked at his room number and started down the hall, only to find Akane sticking her key card into the door he was headed towards.

"I think you made a mistake, Akane. That's my room."

"No, I didn't. This is my room." They looked at each other for a second before they both groaned, "Nabiki…"

-----

"You don't think father will be upset, Nabiki?"

"Upset? He was practically dancing with joy when I told him."

"Oh… You don't think they'll do anything… Improper, do you?"

God, Nabiki thought to herself, I certainly hope so. "Of course not. Ranma doesn't have the testicular fortitude to do that."

Kasumi immediately cheered up. "Of course he doesn't. Do you want first shower?"

-----

"So…" Akane glanced nervously at her feet.

"Yeah…" Ranma carefully avoided looking at her, swinging their luggage onto the stand. The room was really nice. It had a great view of the river, a bar, stereo system and flat screen TV, and only one king sized bed. "So… You want the first shower?"

She nodded and opened her suitcase, taking out a change of clothes. Ranma caught sight of the underwear she selected and flushed. She noticed and blushed as well. "Could you... turn around, please?"

"Oh. Right." He turned around and walked stiffly to the bed. "Let me know when you're done, okay?"

Akane stalked off to the bathroom and muttering half-heartedly about "perverts," but at least she didn't bean him for it.

He heard the bathroom door shut and let out a sigh of relief. He proceeded to unpack the suitcase his clothes were in. It was a borrowed one of Soun's, since all he had was a backpack. He picked up his shirts and placed them on the bed, rummaging around in the case for a tank-top he had thrown in the corner. He found a small cardboard box. Puzzled, he pulled it out and looked at it.

He didn't understand exactly what a Trojan Economy Pack was, but we certainly understood the word condom.

Ranma groaned and shoved the box back in the suit case. Trust his dad and Mr. Tendo to pull a stupid stunt like this. He didn't know if he was about to have the best week of his life or the worst. At a certain point, pain became pleasure, anyway. Regardless of what happened, he was pretty sure that it would be hell in Nerima when he got back and his other fiancées found out.

-----

Akane brushed her hair out as she looked into the steamed up mirror. She took a moment to examine her naked body, carefully looking for flaws. She sighed. Her boobs would never be as big as Shampoos, nor would she have Ukyo's poise. Right now, she didn't care. Right now, she was alone. With Ranma.

Alone. No other fiancées. No parents. Knowing they way their life worked, the fiancée brigade was probably scrambling for the first flight to Bangkok. They'd probably only have one night in Bangkok… She knew Ranma cared about her, and she definitely cared about him. It had taken a lot of time and nearly dying at Jusendo, but... They hadn't said anything yet, but they had gotten a lot closer. Time alone was precious, and they had recently started exploring the world of physical passion.

They hadn't done the deed yet, but they had come close a few times. Partly, they were scared, because they were always interrupted at the most inopportune time. But tonight, the world really was her oyster. This pearl was hers for the taking, even if she knew she'd probably pay later, but this moment…

A knock at the door snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry Ranma. One second!" She quickly wrapped herself in a towel and grabbed her change of clothes. She opened the door and stepped out, allowing the steam to billow out into the room.

She smiled up at him. "Your turn!"

He smiled back. "Thanks, Akane." They stared deeply into each other's eyes for a moment. Ranma leaned his forearm against the outside of the door jamb, subtly encroaching on Akane's personal space.

Akane stepped closer to him, reaching her arms up to pull him in for a passionate kiss. Ranma gently pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her waist, reveling in the sensations. Ranma pressed her back against the door jam, kissing her a little more forcefully as he cradled her head with his right arm. His left hand gently toyed with the flap in her towel.

The knot gave under his gentle tugging, dropping to her sides as it was pinned to the wall by her weight. Akane moaned into his kiss.

A knock on the door broke the spell.

Ranma swore softly as he looked balefully at the door. Akane hastily re-wrapped the towel around her and ducked into the bathroom. Ranma jerked the door open and snarled, "WHAT?"

He blinked as Kasumi stood there, hand poised as if to knock. He immediately lost his anger. "Sorry, Kasumi. What can I do for you?"

"Oh, I just wanted to tell you there was a change in plans."

"Oh?"

Kasumi nodded. "Nabiki met some of the other people for the tournament, and they want to go out with us tonight. We'll assemble in the lobby a little earlier than planned. Can you be ready in ten minutes?"

Ranma nodded. "Sure, I've just got to shower. Be right out."

Kasumi peered around his shoulder into the room. "Akane?"

Ranma jerked his thumb towards the bathroom. "She's finishing up in the bathroom."

Kasumi smiled brightly. "Oh, okay. I guess Nabiki was right that you wouldn't have the testicular fortitude to do anything tonight."

She turned around and left a thoroughly flabbergasted Ranma at the door.

------

Ranma showered and changed quickly. Whatever might have happened quickly died as the rush to get ready pressed them out the door. Ranma did a quick sweep around the hotel room as Akane put on her last shoe and straightened her dress. She looked great – she was wearing a thin cotton sundress that showed a lot of collarbone and was loose enough to allow airflow to cut the heat.

Ranma wore a Chinese style black silk shirt with some embroidery on the collar and sleeves and flashy pair of red kung fu pants.

Before they headed out the door to the lobby, they exchanged a brief but passionate kiss. Akane whispered "later" huskily into his air as she slipped out of his arms and into the hall.

----

"We all here? Good!" Nabiki introduce Ranma to people all around her. He couldn't keep the names straight and didn't even try. Because the group was comprised of all different nationalities, English became the common language. It was a large group of about twelve people. Nabiki was grinning. She leaned over conspiratorially to Ranma and whispered, "You know how good you are at martial arts?"

He nodded.

Nabiki flashed him a wicked grin. "Well, these people are as good at what they do as you are at your thing."

Ranma gulped. "Uh… what do they do?"

Nabiki grinned again. "They're smart, that's what." She rubbed her hands together gleefully. "Siam's gonna be the witness to the ultimate test of cerebral fitness. I'm looking forward to these matches way more than some muddy river or another statue of a reclining Buddha."

With that, Nabiki left Ranma to drape herself around the arm of a tale foreigner with blond hair who reminded Ranma quite a bit of Picolet Chardin III. He shuddered.

"Thank god I'm only watching them play…" Ranma muttered to himself. He knew he had a flair for tactics, but his strength was reaction, not planning.

Ranma kept towards the back of the pack, silently screening the flowing traffic for threats. Kasumi immediately began conversing with an older man of Russian origin, while Nabiki had moved on and was conversing (in French no less) with an aristocratic looking man with dark hair and blue eyes.

The first obstacle they encountered happened as soon as they left the lobby. They had to cross the street. Unfortunately, the haphazard traffic gave few opportunities. Ranma watch the locals boldly stride out into the street, and pretty soon he got the idea of how to do it.

He explained to the group that you had to just walk at a constant pace; the traffic would flow around you. Everyone thought he was crazy, of course. So, in the end he had to walk small groups of three or four across until the entire group ended up by the river.

They made their way towards the entertainment districts.

-------

Dinner started tame and became wild. The restaurant was nothing special – it catered to tourists, half-way between a dive and an upscale market stall. But the food was delicious and spicy, the people watching spectacular, and the atmosphere heady. At some point the tea the group had been drinking turned into the local alcoholic drink of choice.

Ranma took one sip of his and set it aside, content to be the only one of the group not drinking. He watched Akane wink at him as she excused herself from the table and went to the restroom as the bill was settled. She returned a short time later and downed the rest of her drink as the party spilled out into the streets.

The group fracture as some begged off and wanted to return to the hotel, others wanted to hit a few bars, and a couple of the more adventures wanted to check out the famed night life. Nabiki decided it to call it a night, having no interest in the red-light district. "I'm not here for that." She continued, "The only mate I'm looking for is a check mate. I'd invite you to watch the matches tomorrow, but I'm sure you wouldn't find the queens we use too exciting."

Ranma just nodded and offered to walk the group back to the hotel, but they protested they would be fine. Kasumi patted him on the cheek and told him to go check out the bars, temples, and massage parlors with Akane and let her know how things went.

Akane slid up next to him and shoved something in his pocket.

"Not here!" she whispered into his ear when he tried to see what it was. "Later!" She quickly bit on his earlobe and stepped back, giving him a big grin before turning around and running after the group heading out for the bars.

------

Ranma quickly lost count of the number of bars and go-go clubs they visited, not to mention the amount Akane had to drink. He himself wasn't exactly sober, but his tolerance was much higher than hers, that was sure. They were walking down the street alone, having splintered off from the larger group somehow when Akane decided she didn't want to watch the floor show.

"You can check your pocket now, Ranma."

He did so, pulling out a small bit of lacy black material, not quite sure what to make of it at first. He pulled it apart, nearly dropping it in shock as he realized he was holding a pair of panties. Akane's panties, to be exact.

She slid up next to him as he flushed and shoved them quickly back into his pocket. She reached around his neck and whispered into his ear, telling him exactly what she had planned for later in that night.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him further into the gaudy neon lights, crowds, scooters, smells, and sounds.

-----

By the time they managed to get back to the hotel room, Ranma was nearly weeping with frustration. Akane had teased him all evening, pulling him to bar after bar, refusing to go back to the hotel, even though she kept telling him exactly what she would do when they got back.

He was so thoroughly confused, caught on the borderline between despair and ecstasy. Finally, he couldn't take much more. Wrapping his fiancée in his arms, he took to the roofs, heading back to the hotel as fast as his legs could carry him. The whole way there, Akane was urging him to hurry, faster, faster.

-----

Later, much later, when he lay on top of Akane, panting, gasping and sweating, she gently caressed his back, taking care not to irritate the scratch marks she had put there the earlier.

She nibbled his ear affectionately. "Who knew such a tough guy could crumble after only one night in Bangkok?"

He grinned. "Yeah, well who's the pervert now, Ms. Shove-your-panties into my pocket?"

She merely grinned and shrugged.

"Oh… do that again!" Ranma smiled.

She did.

He kissed her. She kissed him back. They looked at each other, knowing well that things would never be the same. Ranma leaned down, nuzzling her neck as he whispered three little words in her ears, knowing that she knew that he really felt it.

He no longer had much to fear. He'd made his decision, and he wouldn't change it for anything.

-----

Author's notes: 

Um... so, yeah. This was a byproduct of a late night, 80's tunes, and an active imagination. I could have made it much longer, but I wanted to keep it in the style of the song that inspired me to write it.

Read, review, flame, whatever. This was for pure fun, and I enjoyed writing it. The entire time, I had a thumping base beat and bad synthesizers playing in my head the whole time. I don't write to music, so it was rare to have so much fun while writing this one to what is objectively a pretty terrible song.

But that made it all the more fun. Thanks, Murray Head! 


End file.
